Method of utilizing liquid air in explosion-motors.



METHOD OF UTILIZING LIOUID AIR IN EXPLOSION MOTORS.

(Application filed Nov. 27, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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U ITED STATES ATENT- Fries.

CARL LINDE, OF MUNICH. GERMANY.

METHOD OF UTILIZING LiQUID AIR IN EXPLOSION-MOTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 664,958, dated January 1, 1901-. Application filed November 23,1899. serial no. 738,826. on model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL LINDE, doctor of .philosophy,'a subject of. the King of Bavaria, residing at Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire, have invented a new and, useful Improvement in Methods of Utilizing LiquidAir in Explosion-Motors,ot which the following is a specification.

Since it has been rendered possible to liq uefy air in any desired quantity, it has often been suggested that liquid air should be used .for driving motors. Acareful investigation, however, shows-that the energy expended in liquefying the air is so out'of proportionfto the energy obtained under the most favorable circumstances by the conversion of the liquefled air into the gaseousstate, which while further expanding is utilized for doing work, that the idea of utilizing liquid air for driving motors can only be applied when the question of economy is not taken into considera- This, ho'weve r, is diflferent when the liquid air is used in combination with a conibustible in such amanner that the oxygen of said air is caused to act on the combustible under the high pressure resulting from its tralisition from the liquid into the gaseous state. v A

My invention .Inay be -embodied in a combustion-Inot-or of the kind in which com bustible materials-\such as coal-gas, petroleum, benzene, or the iike are used fol-obtaining the driving power. it is well known that for the proper working of these motors the atm'ospheric air to be mixed with the fuel requires .to be' applied under a high pressure,

which is produced by compressing, theair in( a special cylinder, and improvements in 'the said motors are mainly directed toward increasing the compression and working pressure generally, The effective work of the motor in this case is therefore the difference between thework done'on the gas i-n its compression and the work performed by its ex-v pansion. Now by the use of. liquid air the necessity for compressing the air in a special working cylinder in order to obtain increase of pressure by reduction of volume is obviatedaisthepressure is producediby thetransi- .tion: of the air from the liquid int-othe gaseous state, this transition occurring in a'closed space. Moreover, the compression, and conefficiency is requiredas, for instance, in

- ing-surface.

more complicated than that'already existing.

Accordingly it is possible to adopt very small dimensions, this being of special value where a motor of small weight. and relatively high driving vehicles. s

The accompanying drawing represents a diagrammatical arrangement of my improved motor.

Theliquid air is kept under atmospheric pressure in the vessel Z, which .iswell protected exteriorly against heat, from which. vessel the said liquid 'airis drawn ofi by a feed-pump 19, having a variable stroke. The actuation of the pump p is efiectedfrom the shaft 0, of the fly-wheel by means of a crank- 7o gearing f and lever-gearing g h, the stroke of the pump being regulated byadjust-ingthe lever-gearing. 'lhepu mp supplies theliquid air to the conduit or serpentine s, the walls of which are not protected against the access whereby it is caused to reassume the gaseous state, the conduit being made in the form of a serpeutine'tube ct to aiford a large conduct- From the said conduit the gasified airenters a combustion-chamber b, into which at the same time is introd ucedthe combustible material or motive fluid to an amount required for the power to be exerted. This material may consist of a liquid fuel and may. be introduced by means of an apparatus m,

similar to that generally employed for sup- 9o means of abelt-gearing d and' wormwheel k in such a manner that on' the piston moving downward the motive fluid is pressed from the apparatus m into the combustionchamber b.- The ignition can be effected in the manner usuallyadopted in explosion-engines. loo.

In starting, an electricigniter may be used and afterward ignition may beefiected by causing the combustible material to. 'drop upon an asbestos body, which after being.

.rendered incandescent by the combustion is thereby kept in a state of incandescence.

The combustion may also be obtained by bringing the liquid air directly together withthe combustible material. This-enables the gasifier or serpentine to be omitted; but the consumption of combustion material is 'in creased thereby. Y

The combustion should always be caused to take place under such conditions as will prevent the resulting gases from having too high a temperature. This will easily be obtained by injecting a greater quantity of liquid air than is required forperfect combustion, as obviously the greater the injected volume of liquid air the lower the temperature at which the gasified air is allowed to meet the -fuel.- The combustion gases are then introduced into the working mechanism proper, which by preference may be a compound engine e, consisting at least of two cylinders in order to enable the gases, entering at a very high pressure in the first cylinworking explosion-motorswhich consists in intermittently gasifying liquid air, causing the gasified air to mix with fuel under the pressure resulting from its transition from the liquid to the gaseous state, firing the thus-obtamed mixture of fuel and compressed air, and causing the products of combustion to act upon the piston, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The method of utilizing liquid air in working explosion-motors which consists in intermittently injecting liquid air, gasifying the same on its passage to the combustionchamber, causihg the gasified air to meet the fuel in the combustion-chamber under the pressure resulting from its transition from the liquid into gaseous state, firing the thus-obtained mixture 'of fuel and compressed air, and causing the products of combustion to act upon the piston, substantially as described.

3. The method of utilizing liquid air in working explosion-motors which consists in intermittently injecting liquid air, gasifying the same by means of the atmospherical heat causing the gasified air to meet the fuel under the pressure resulting from its transition from the liquid into the gaseous state, firing the thus-obtained mixture of-fuel and com pressed air, and causing the products of combustion to act upon the piston, substantially as described.

4. The method of utilizing liquid air in working explosion-motors which consists in ihtermittently injecting a quantity ofliquid air greater than needed for burning a given its passage tothe combustion-chamber, causing the gasified air to meetthe fuel under the pressure resulting from its transition from the liquid into the gaseous state, firing the thus-obtained mixture of fuel and surplus of compressed air, and causing the products of combustion and surplus of air to act upon the piston, substantially as described.

5. The method of utilizing liquid air in working explosion-motors which consists in intermittently injecting a quantity ofliquid air greater than needed for burning a given quantity of fuel, gasifying the injected air on its passage to the fuel, causing the gasified air to meet the fuel under the pressure resulting from its transition from the liquid into the gaseous state, firing the thus-obtained mixture of fuel and surplus of compressed air, causing the products of combustion and surplus of air to act upon the piston, mixing said products and surplus of airwith fuel, firing anew and causing the resulting products to act u pon'a second piston,su bstantiall y as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 'my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- Witnesses FRIEDRICH LINDE,

EMIL HENZEL.

while passing to the combustion-chamber,

quantity of fuel, gasifying the injected air on- 

